Application Procedures
All applicants for admission must complete the required Austin Christian University Admission Application process. In addition, they must also complete the admission application process for Southeastern University (SEU). SEU undergraduate admission information is available at https://seu.edu/admission/.
ACU undergraduate degree applicants are:
- High school graduates in the United States.
- Home school completers. Austin Christian requires home-schooled students to satisfy the same general standards as applicants who have graduated from a private, parochial, or public high school.
- High School Equivalency Exam (GED) certificate recipients. Applicants must submit the original or a certified true copy of the certificate.· High school graduates who have also completed college-level coursework.
- Graduates of studies equivalent to graduation from a U.S. secondary school in a country other than the United States - See Applicants with Non-US Educational Credentials below.
Applicants may begin the application process up to twelve months prior to their requested enrollment date. Admission applicants who achieve or exceed the following are best positioned to receive an offer of admission and succeed at Austin Christian University:
- Grade point average of 3.0 or greater on a four-point scale in high school ‘solids’ coursework.
- Top half of their high school graduating class.
- CLT score of 72+, SAT score of 1100+, or ACT score of 22+.
In addition, they are:
- Christians who live a life consistent with biblical standards and demonstrate strong personal character.
- Members of a local church with a record of participation and service.
- Individuals who yearn to grow in their understanding and practical application of God’s Word in their lives and the world in which they live.
- Called to ministry either full- or part-time or see their workplace as their ministry and seek to cultivate skills to reach the world for the Kingdom of God.
- Students who possess the requisite observation, communication, psychomotor, social, and cognitive skills with reasonable accommodation to complete Austin Christian’s rigorous degree program.
Application Requirements
First step:
- Complete the online Austin Christian University application at: https://www.austinchristianuniversity.org/application
- Includes:
1. Full applicant information
2. Three short essay style discussion questions
3. Resume
4. Unofficial transcript
5. Pastoral Letter of recommendation
6. Headshot
7. $50 nonrefundable application fee
Second step (implemented if applicant passes First Step review):
- Online interview through vendor, Spark Hire
- If accepted, Apply to and receive admission from Southeastern University (Admission to Austin Christian does not imply or ensure admission to Southeastern. All Austin Christian degree students must also enroll at SEU.)
- After acceptance, students can then apply for scholarships.
- Submit official student transcripts from all high schools and colleges attended.
- Applicants (and their parents/guardians when applicants are less than 19 years of age) grant permission to conduct a background check by Austin Christian.
- For applicants who are non-native English speakers and have not graduated from an English-speaking secondary school or university – Submit TOEFL iBT Test results.
Austin Christian accepts admission applications up to twelve months before the requested start semester. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. Following the completion of all admission requirements, the application will be reviewed by the Admission Committee. Austin Christian will notify students by email and official letter of the admission decision.
Academic Transcripts and Diplomas
Transcripts must be mailed directly from the issuing institution to Austin Christian University, Attention: Austin Christian University Undergraduate Admission, 601 Westinghouse Road, Georgetown, TX 78626. Unofficial transcripts and those received directly from applicants are not acceptable.Secondary school transcripts are not required from applicants with degrees from an accredited institution.Documents received by Austin Christian for use in the admission process become the property Austin Christian, except for original diplomas, GED certificates and leaving certificates, and attested copies of educational documents certified by the issuing institution or appropriate governmental ministry. Austin Christian makes certified true copies of these documents and returns the originals.
Standardized Test Scores
Austin Christian University requires admission applicants to submit ACT, SAT, or CLT results and considers submitted test scores when making the admission decision. All test scores must be received directly from the testing agency.
U.S. Military Veterans
Veterans are encouraged to provide a copy of their DD-214 and/or Joint Services Transcript (JST).
Applicants with Non-US Educational Credentials
Admission applicants that have completed secondary and/or post-secondary education at institutions that are not in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, The Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, or Australia must submit certified word-for-word English translations and credit evaluations of their educational documents. This includes diplomas, leaving certificates, and academic transcripts. English translations must be evaluated by a recognized independent foreign credentials service such as The Foreign Credentials Service of America, www.foreigncredentials.org as a required part of the admission application process. Additional recognized credentials evaluation services include: www.jsilny.org, www.spantran.com, ece.org, and wes.org.
Non-US Citizen and Permanent Resident Applicants
Non-U.S. students seeking Student F-1, Vocational M-1 Visas, and temporary non-employment- related visitor visas are not eligible for undergraduate program admission. Austin Christian University is not authorized to issue the I-20 Form to non-U.S. citizens.
Admission Decision
The Admission Committee will carefully review student applications. Evidence of salvation experience in the interview accompanying the application is essential. The evidence of a Christian life that is consistent with high Christian standards must be witnessed by the pastoral and personal references provided on the application form.
The Offer of Admission
Austin Christian University does not review incomplete admission applications for admission. Following the receipt of all admission application requirements, the Austin Christian University Admission Committee reviews the applicant’s admission application and notifies the applicant by mail of the Admission Committee’s decision. Offers of admission are final. Applicants that complete the Austin Christian admission process may be:
- Admitted for the selected term and year
- Offered deferred admission for a subsequent semester or session (when the desired class/cohort is full or additional coursework is deemed important to the success of the student)
- Denied admission
All offers of admission are provisional until admission to Southeastern University is also offered. Applicants denied admission may reapply for admission to a subsequent semester by notifying Austin Christian University Admissions of their intent, updating their admission application information and documents, and submitting a new application fee.
Enrollment Deposit
Following the receipt of admission to Southeastern University, applicants admitted to Austin Christian accept the offer of admission by submitting the required non-refundable $400 Enrollment Deposit. Payment of the Deposit reserves the applicant’s place in the designated class/cohort. Payment of the Enrollment Deposit is required no later than the National Candidate Reply Date of May 1st for the fall semester or by October 1st for the spring semester, or within ten calendar days of the admission offer if the date of the offer follows the fall or spring semester dates above. Austin Christian credits the deposit toward the student’s first semester’s tuition.
College Transfer Credit·
- Austin Christian will consider the transfer of credits for courses that satisfy the requirements of courses within the degree.
- Courses must be directly related to and satisfy all requirements in both content and hours of instruction for specific Austin Christian courses to qualify for transfer. - Austin Christian will consider the transfer of college-level coursework with grades of C or better in subjects equivalent to those currently offered as part of the Undergraduate Degree Program.
- Austin Christian may accept up to 50 percent of the courses completed at another institution for transfer to the University.
- Courses granted for transfer will be noted on a student’s offer of admission and included on the student’s Austin Christian transcript. Transfer course grades will not be included on the Austin Christian transcript.
- Credits are transferred on a course-by-course basis.
- Austin Christian operates on a semester-hour system. Courses from schools that operate on a quarter-hour system will be transposed to semester hours using a 3/2 ratio.
- Austin Christian will accept Advanced Placement course credit for review.
- Austin Christian may award military credit that parallels Austin Christian undergraduate coursework through Joint Services Transcript (JST) or DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
In addition to the official transcripts from previously attended colleges or universities, to ensure full consideration for transfer the applicant must provide:
- Course descriptions from the catalogs of the colleges or universities attended for the year(s) that students completed the courses.
- Course syllabi provided to the applicant by the instructors who taught the classes.
When transferring courses to fulfill an Austin Christian requirement:
- If the Austin Christian course credits exceed those of a similar course completed at the previous institution, the course will not transfer.
- If the credits for a similar course completed at the previous institution exceed those of the similar Austin Christian course, only the credits of the Austin Christian course will transfer.
